Crime & Arrests

4:47 PM PT -- Luigi Mangione, who is a top person of interest in the death of UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson, has been ordered to be held without bail after appearing in court for the first time Monday.

He was charged with forgery, carrying a firearm without a license, tampering with records or identification, and providing false identification to law enforcement.

While he did not enter a plea, Mangione reportedly spoke against 2 claims made against him ... including the suggestion he was criminally sophisticated.

Mangione's next hearing is set for Dec. 23 in Pennsylvania ... though, New York state is expected to issue a warrant.

Luigi Mangione, the person of interest in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, received a police escort into court in a perp walk Monday.

The 26-year-old Maryland native, who was picked up in Altoona, Pennsylvania earlier Monday in connection with the NYC murder, arrived at the Blair County Court House in PA ... where he was set to appear for a preliminary arraignment.

Watch the video ... Mangione, who was detained in handcuffs, appeared stone-faced as he was helped out of the back of police SUV. The person of interest wore a dark long-sleeved shirt and jeans as he made his way into the court ... not uttering a word.

3:30 PM PT -- Luigi Mangione's X account has been suspended.

Luigi Mangione's social media presence is blowing up after he was named a person of interest in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Check it out ... earlier this morning, Mangione -- who is currently being questioned by authorities after being picked up in Altoona, Pennsylvania -- had a mere 975 followers on Instagram. His follower count skyrocketed by tens of thousands after his identity was revealed to the public.

At the time of writing, Mangione's IG account -- which has been inactive since 2021 -- had just over 27,000 followers ... many of whom have declared their attraction to the person of interest.

11:27 AM -- Penny was all smiles and in a celebratory mood after his acquittal. Check out this photo of him grabbing a few beers with his lawyers, Tom Kenniff and Steven Raiser, inside a bar.

Daniel Penny -- the man who choked Jordan Neely to death on a NYC subway -- has been found not guilty of criminally negligent homicide Monday, according to his attorneys, Tom Kenniff and Steven Raiser ... after prosecutors dropped a manslaughter charge Friday when the jury deadlocked.

The jury of 7 women and 5 men had been deliberating since Tuesday last week in the case -- they deadlocked twice on Friday, telling the judge they could not reach a unanimous verdict. Penny was facing charges of second-degree manslaughter and the negligence count. Prosecutors then moved to drop the manslaughter charge, and the judge allowed it, instructing the jury to consider only that count.

The central issue during the trial ... was whether Penny was justified in placing 30-year-old Neely in what turned out to be a fatal chokehold after witnesses claimed Neely was threatening passengers on a NYC subway car on May 1, 2023.

Newly released body cam footage from New Jersey state police captures the moment the driver, accused of killing Johnny Gaudreau and his brother while driving drunk, struggles through a field sobriety test right before being taken into custody.

Check out the clip -- Sean Higgins, puffing on a cigarette, tells officers he was "freaked out" as they questioned him about the crash, claiming he’d had beers but the last one was two hours ago.

Cops ran some tests to see if he was intoxicated, and after eventually being slapped in handcuffs, Sean is heard asking, "Is everybody okay back there? I mean, what happened?" A trooper responds, "We’ll talk about that when we get to the station."

Glen "Big Baby" Davis' pursuit of his dream body in prison might be a little tougher than he imagined ... 'cause TMZ Sports has obtained the menus from his first couple weeks in the slammer -- and they featured a whole lot of carbs.

Davis entered into FPC Duluth in Minnesota back in October ... after he was sentenced to 40 months behind bars for his role in a scheme that defrauded the NBA's Players' Health and Benefit Welfare Plan.

Just a few months before he began his sentence, he told us he was going to use his time in isolation to get jacked ... but check out the options for some of his first meals in the pen -- some weren't exactly the most bodybuilder-friendly.

Diddy's facing a mountain of lawsuits from anonymous accusers, but one accuser's name has now been revealed in court docs ... and she's the ex-wife of a professional hockey player.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, one of the Jane Does suing Diddy for sexual assault was ordered to reveal her identity if she wanted to continue her lawsuit ... and now we've learned the woman suing is Anna Kane, who used to be married to NHL star Evander Kane.

FYI, Evander has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

Anna amended her lawsuit to include her government name. As we already told you, she claims she was just 17 years old and still in high school when Diddy, and others, gang-raped her.

Daniel Penny -- the man who choked Jordan Neely to death on a NYC subway -- has avoided a conviction so far this week after a jury of his peers could not come to a unanimous decision Friday in his trial ... and prosecutors decided to drop the top charge in the case as a result.

The prosecution moved to dismiss the second-degree manslaughter charge after the jury twice told the judge today they could not come to a unanimous verdict.

The judge agreed to drop the charge ... and the jury will reconvene Monday to consider the lesser charge in the case -- criminally negligent homicide. If convicted, he could face up to 4 years in state prison.

A sultry Colombian assassin, known as "The Doll" and tagged as a "dangerous hitwoman," has been arrested for a string of gangland hits -- including the murder of her ex-lover.

Karen Julieth Ojeda Rodriguez, AKA "The Doll," was busted and taken into custody for her alleged role in a series of high-profile murders in Barrancabermeja, which were said to have been ordered by the Los de la M gang, according to local reports from Libertad Digital.

The femme fatale's takedown comes after the July 23 ambush-style murder of her ex-BF, Deyvy Jesus. Cops claim she lured him in with a fake peace offering, claiming they’d settle a money dispute.

Lil Durk is facing a legal slugfest, with the feds claiming he's the mastermind behind a murder-for-hire plot ... and his attorneys are convinced it's a classic example of prosecutors grasping at straws with some street-savvy rap lyrics because they don't have a real case against the rap star.

The Chicago rapper's attorneys -- Drew Findling and Marissa Goldberg, of The Findling Law Firm, P.C., along with Jonathan Brayman, and Christy O'Connor -- tell TMZ Hip Hop ... "When you see an artist’s rap lyrics quoted as 'evidence' against them, it is a glaring indication that there is no real evidence against that person."

According to the feds, Durk detailed the steps that led up to the August 2022 murder of rival Quando Rondo's cousin Saviay'a Robinson on Babyface Ray's song "Wonderful Wayne & Jackie Boy" when he rapped ... "Told me they got an addy (gooo) / Got location (gooo) Green light (go, go, go, go, go) / Look on the news and see your son, You screamin’, 'No, no' (p***y!!!)"

Diddy's defense team is coming out swinging against the prosecution ... accusing the federal government of unfairly spying on him amid his ongoing detention.

In new court documents obtained by TMZ ... the rap mogul's legal team says the feds have trampled Diddy's constitutional rights and hindered Diddy's ability to fairly prepare for his upcoming trial while behind bars.

As the lawyers put it ... the feds flagrantly invaded Diddy's confidential communications with his attorneys -- once again calling into question the raid on the Bad Boy Records founder's cell at MDC Brooklyn.

Diddy will be getting his freak on over Christmas -- but it's not what you think -- his federal jail is giving him several options to play sports and games ... with a special holiday spread.

Our sources in the federal government tell us inmates at MDC Brooklyn -- where Diddy is being held as he awaits trial in his sex trafficking case -- will be able to participate in some friendly competition on Christmas Day ... including card games and dominos.

In addition to a Spades tournament and a dominos competition, Diddy and his fellow inmates will also be able to take part in a 3-on-3 basketball tourney ... and a soccer competition.

Francesca Eastwood just dodged a felony domestic violence charge ... and it looks like she’s celebrating a little too hard, judging by these pics from her wild night out.

Clint Eastwood’s daughter was living her best life, stumbling out of West Hollywood’s Chateau Marmont on Tuesday, when she took a chaotic tumble to the ground.

The pics will definitely give you a laugh -- it's clear she partied a little too hard 'cause it wasn't even like she was rocking heels to throw off her balance. Nope, she was in comfy sneakers and still went down!

Leighton Vander Esch's dad was arrested over the weekend after he allegedly attempted to strangle the former Dallas Cowboys star's mom, new court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, show.

According to the docs, the incident happened around midnight on Dec. 1 in Idaho County ... when Darwin Vander Esch allegedly got physical with his wife, Sandy Vander Esch, following an argument at a nearby bar.

Cops wrote that Sandy told them Darwin had locked her out of their house after the dispute, so she broke in ... and soon after, officers say she claimed her husband confronted her and put both of his hands around her neck and "was pushing and squeezing, not letting her talk or breathe."

Kader Sylla -- a popular professional skateboarder who's competed in the X Games -- was arrested over the weekend in New York, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

The NYPD tells us ... Sylla was pulled over at around 2:13 AM on Sunday in Manhattan ... after he was accused of driving the wrong way in his 2017 Porsche SUV.

According to ABC News, Sylla allegedly showed signs during the stop of being impaired -- including slurred speech and bloodshot eyes. The outlet also reports cops said the 22-year-old skater admitted to drinking before getting behind the wheel.

The father of retired Dallas Cowboys star Leighton Vander Esch was arrested in Idaho over the weekend on several charges -- including felony attempted strangulation.

The Idaho County Sheriff's Office says it received a call regarding a domestic battery outside the city of Riggins around 12:16 AM on Dec. 1.

After cops arrived at the scene, 61-year-old Darwin Vander Esch was arrested for felony attempted strangulation and cited for misdemeanor domestic battery and misdemeanor intentional destruction of a telecommunication device.

Young Thug may have sprung out of jail, but one of his co-defendants is still having a rough time behind bars ... dodging sharp, pointy objects that want to take him out!!!

According to reports straight outta Fulton County, Georgia ... YSL rapper Yak Gotti, AKA Deamonte Kendrick, was involved in an altercation on the inside with another inmate on Sunday, resulting in him being stabbed!!!

"Kendrick received treatment for minor injuries from a sharp object at the Fulton County Jail," Fulton County Sheriff's Office Communications Director Natalie Ammons tells TMZ Hip Hop.